London 2012 is a celebration of the UK's youth, says Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal hopes to see his friend, the sprinter Rikki Fifton, compete in the Olympic stadium at London 2012. Photograph: Ian West/PA

David Cameron has found an unlikely ally in his attempt to talk up the positive aspects of the London 2012 legacy in the shape of the British rapper Dizzee Rascal.

The artist, who spent his childhood living close to the Olympic Park in east London, said he could see the difference that the Games had already made to the area. "I grew up down the road. The area looks better, there are new buildings, some nice new parks," said the Mercury Prize-winning rapper, who was this week unveiled as the headliner for a concert in Hyde Park on the eve of the Games organised by the torch relay sponsor Coca-Cola.

"It is a celebration of the UK's youth, doing good things, positive things," he added.

The Games were won partly on a promise to inspire the youth of Britain to play more sport, but there have been questions about the extent to which they will be able to participate given the scarcity of tickets and high prices. Organisers have attempted to counter that by highlighting the number of tickets given to schools and reserving half of the 7,300 places on the torch relay for those under 25.

Lord Coe, London 2012's chairman, has claimed that the torch relay and the Games themselves will provide a more positive reflection of British youth than last summer's riots. Dizzee Rascal agreed, saying: "Young people are definitely getting a bad rap, so it's important for people to know it's not all like that. I think people know that deep down anyway."

He added: "Kids need to be taught that your dreams aren't just dreams. Whatever they are, it's OK to push for them. Life is hard enough. Life is always going to be hard, so you need to push for what you want."

Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Mills, said he was particularly looking forward to seeing his friend the sprinter Rikki Fifton compete in the Olympic Stadium. The pair were brought up in nearby Bow. "We grew up there, so hopefully I'll get to see him perform there at the Olympics. I'm looking forward to him competing, I hope he makes it."

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